Back on track

[zec01]

I have finally built some makeshift outriggers for the kayak from 32mm waste pipe, the main pipe is strengthened with an added old paddle shaft inside, then there is an F2 fender on each side. I have also managed to fit a camera mount on the starboard side and it offers a great view. I had to face it that due to my disability that it was either quit or adapt and so this is my bid to keep paddling.







Also hopefully I wont be burning all my energy in a short space of time fighting the balance, kayaking when I am able does mean that for the next 4/5 days I am in chronic pain and im not afraid to say that it is so bad that I do cry because it feels like I have had my legs broken.
People often dont understand why I do go out paddling when my pain scores lower only to cause more pain, its simple, if I dont take advantage, the pain will get worse anyway and so I might aswell grasp the chance to feel alive for a short time.
Eventually there will come a time when I will have to quit but until then, I intend to push on and enjoy that feeling you only get when out on the water.

[Yakdiver]

That's very good if it gets you out on your kayak that has to be a bonus.

[seylan]

I hope you have many, many happy years paddling and that the pleasure of it always makes up for the pain :o)

[Kayaks'N'Beer]

Looking good. I wonder if it's going to affect your steering, tho. Maybe time to think about installing a rudder?

[zec01]

Or just keep going starlight, I should eventually come back round :-)

[zec01]

That should be straight!
I guess you don't only mean turning it but also how the outriggers could affect just going in a straight line with influences such as swell, tide and wind

[Kayaks'N'Beer]

That should be straight!
I guess you don't only mean turning it but also how the outriggers could affect just going in a straight line with influences such as swell, tide and wind

All part of the same game innit. File it under "going where you want to".

[Jim]

Have you had a chance to paddle it yet?
Looks great(ish) just wondering if it is providing everything you hoped for?

With the Paralympic games coming up I wonder if kayak manufacturers might consider the possibility of a disabled/amputee market and come up with some commercial solutions? Maybe there is an opportunity for you to work with one of them?

(Subtle hint to all the manufacturers reading the forums - I know they all read to a certain extent!)

[zec01]

There is the gullwing in America but its the price of a kayak, there is another one by Hobie but I couldn't afford £300 and its not great.
I am surprised that the manufacturers haven't got an option for a nice composite outrigger for the kayaks they build but then maybe there hasn't been much call.
I contacted the BCU a while back via one of the email contacts, I wish I had kept the reply because basically I was told that as I am disabled, I should use a SOT. I know a SOT would be better but if I wanted one, then I would get one, I want to paddle a sea kayak like I did before my mobility and pain levels caused a real problem. Its like a way of keeping a part of my previous life.

I am going to build something better, I have never used fiberglass before but I am going to give it a go, even if it means a very light wood structure covered in glass.

[Jim]

That's shocking!
Still at least they didn't say you had to use a canoe!

Fibreglass is pretty easy to get the hang of once you move onto future prototypes. I reckon you won't be far off with what you have, as long as it is rigid enough as installed.

Have fun!

[zec01]

Testing it out today, high tide, only one foot swell and pain levels are a mere "oh crap" level today, perfect!

[Stuart Yendle]

Just been reading that 'around Britain by sailing canoe' and noticed his outriggers on his canoe.

Just a thought, If you were to elevate them at a slight angle you may be able to edge the kayak to turn whilst still providing support. Also if you have a wave or swell side on you can still lean into it rather than being flat on the wave and possibly flipped over. Although the lack of constant contact with the water may not provide you with the same support you need.

I'm sure some more water dynamic ones could be pieced together from some marine ply and fibreglass. These look pretty good...http://www.globaledit.co.uk/classic/#kayak

Hope the test goes well for you.

[zec01]

I have been out this afternoon and the outriggers worked perfectly, it did feel slightly strange side on to the swell but wasnt a problem. The kayak turned okay despite the fact that it cant be edged and I am extremely happy with the results.



It was important that this worked because the problems with the hospital and my health have been very difficult to handle and I have been quite down with the forced rest and the feeling of failure with recent kayaking attempts.
I am sure that the sport will become more popular after the paralympics and it would be great if the various instructors and companies could offer sessions with adapted kayaks and the outriggers prove its possible although I do need to sort a better back support. I realise that adapted kayaks are an expense and that more staff are needed per head with disabled clients.

I want to say a big thank you to all those that have supplied me with gear that has got me back on the water and now I can start training for the challenges that I want to complete, I had hoped to start this year but my disability caused more problems than I had realised, whilst laid on the settee I can convince myself that I can climb Everest :)

[nickcrowhurst]

Zec, that's great news, well done. I've tried to look closely at the outrigger crossmember attachments to the deck, and they appear to be open-topped pipe clips. Do you have a back-up system for the clips, in case a steep wave on one side lifts the cross-member out of the clips? (Those pipe clips weaken their grip with age and usage.) If not, one simple way, without more drilling into the deck, would be to take a long roof rack tie-down tape strap, drape its midpoint over the outrigger on one side, take both ends under the hull and up to and over the cross-member on the other side, and secure the ends tightly together with the buckle clear of the waterline. Just a thought. Apologies if you've already dealt with this.
Nick

[Colin C]

Zec

I do need to sort a better back support

I used to own a Nigel Dennis boat and the back rest was very flexible, I now have a Tide Race boat and their approach is very different in that they use a stiff plastic back rest that can not move, and it comes quite high up, this might give more support to you, or consider the Australian option of carving it out of foam and leaving it in place, Mick uses one and always sings its praises.

Good luck
Colin

[zec01]

I have gone belt and braces with it, there is a small retaining bolt through the clips and also a strap around and under as I was worried about the force it would be put under if I was in a trough and the outrigger was higher on the wave.

I am hoping to start on another design soon, this one was a quick fix to get me on the water

[Chris Bolton]

You might find some inspiration from the outriggers used by Dragon Boat paddlers when training in K1s.

See http://www.marsport.co.uk/Racing/Boats/O1.html

Some years ago I made an outrigger that clamped on the back of my K1 for this purpose (I may still have the mould I made for the float - PM if you think it would be any help and I'll look for it). By the way, you mention not having done much with glassfibre - I thought I was pretty familiar with it, and making a mould and a couple of floats would be 2 days work - but it took more like 2 months (of spare time!).

Looking at pictures of the outrigger boats they race in the Pacific, I wonder how much you need outriggers both sides? With only one side, you'd be safe from wobbles but if the outrigger lifted on a wave you'd need to be able to lean towards it a bit; I don't know how difficult that would be. The advantage would be that there's a lot less stress on the beams - with 2 outriggers, if the boat's in a trough it's hanging off the beam.

Chris

[zec01]

I believe the pacific ones rely on a suitably heavy outrigger to stop it tipping in the opposite direction and that's why they are large, they paddle with a single blade (?) And I wonder how a kayak paddle would hinder with such an outrigger.

I'm not sure how the mark 2 outrigger will evolve, I am looking around and getting ideas, the great thing about the fenders that I have is that they are not too buoyant and will go under rather than apply excess stress on the kayak outrigger frame, they hold 8 litres of air and that is about 18 pounds of buoyancy and I would want to replicate that in any future design

Unfortunately all current outriggers are very expensive but I have found that most things to help with disability are, my wheelchair is about £2,800, and any decent style wheels are hundreds of pounds upwards, I looked at getting a mountain bike style hand bike and it was just short of £4000 and so I have decided to skip that idea.

[Curly67]

Zec

Check out the P&H/Venture kayaks. They have a seat with a flip up back rest which may be just the thing you`re looking for.

[Big Ade]

I used to have this really daft idea for prototyping my own designs of making a skin on farme out of plastic electrical conduit and covering it in cling flim so I could get out in really shallow water and see how it performed. I thought that the frame could be prototyped dozens of times really quickly and cheaply to get what I wanted.

However, each time I got close to sorting it out, I ended up buying my dream boat from a manufacturer... again.... and again...

So I never actually got around to trying it and it could actually be a really dumb idea.

I think that a single outrigger on a conventional sea kayak could be a bit of problem given the lack of mobility in the hips.
But a re-designed boat with the centre of gravity moved sideways towards the outrigger could be made to work.

But given a clean sheet to design, what would you want from such a boat?
What kind of speed? What kind of manuverability? Double blade euro paddle? What sort of paddling are you after?

I think a single outrigger hard chine design with offset COG and a shallow toe to offset the turning motion could be made on a small buget.